And One
by Baron899
Summary: Kevin is now entering his second year of college with Edd. Turning down his invite to the NBA draft was difficult, but Edd has always found ways to be rather convincing. Now his focus is keeping himself healthy...until a stranger seeks him out.
1. Beginings

And One

Edd began to hear the echo of sneakers squeaking and a ball bouncing on a hardwood floor. As he made his way further down the hall the sound grew louder and louder until finally he pushed open the gym door to find a certain red head right where he knew he would be. All the other players had left nearly an hour ago, but Kevin had once again taken it upon himself to get what he called, "a real workout" in before leaving. Edd chuckled to himself, catching the red heads attention in the middle of a sprint. He shot him that cute smile and held the bag of food he had with him over his head. A night out to a nice romantic restaurant was nice, but there wasn't anything wrong with a nice meal on the gym bleachers now and then.

"I am pleased to see you are making progress Kevin, but there is nothing wrong with taking it easy a few nights out of the week."

Kevin began to present an apology but was quickly silenced.

"I don't say this because it is effecting us negatively. I understand that some nights will be longer than others, it is just the way you are. I simply don't want you to burn yourself out, rest is an important point on the road to improvement. You aren't going to be able to execute the way you hope in games if you completely exhaust yourself day in and day out in practice."

Kevin smiled as he listened to his sock head lecture him for the third time this week. He kept bringing it up and Kevin knew that he was right. Between school work, practice, and games Kev had been burning that candle at both ends for a while now. Eventually he couldn't help himself and leaned over the food in front of them to happily shut his favorite brainiac up for a moment.

"Got it coach," he said giving him a wink as he watched his face burn a light shade of pink. "I'm going to work on it, starting tomorrow. What do you want to do babe?"

Thinking for a moment Edd grinned, "The theater is hosting a production of 'Les Miserables' tomorrow evening."

Kevin looked down slightly regretting his offer, but he would be with Edd so the night wouldn't be a total loss at least. He agreed and the two finished their meals before making their way back to their dorm and getting some much needed sleep.

The next day Kevin lifted himself up in bed, wondering where the night had gone and stretching his aching muscles before turning on the T.V. As the sound filled the room a half dressed Edd peaked his head out from the bathroom door sporting one of Kevin's shirts, toothbrush in hand.

"I didn't expect you up so early."

"Neither did I", Kevin responded giving Edd a pathetic look as he remained sitting up and halfway under the covers. He would have fallen back and tried to get another few hours' sleep if Edd wouldn't shove him off the side if he tried. Instead he simply sat for a moment trying to fully wake himself up before beginning his day. He quickly looked up at the TV, still rubbing one eye as he heard a new story coming on. Edd turned it up, sitting on the bed next to him.

"Now we move into college basketball news, and it seems that everyone is talking about UCONN this season. But more specifically, the name on everyone's lips, Kevin Barr. This kid is showing major promise right now, everyone was sure that he was a one-and-done player. They were gearing up for the news that he was heading to the draft but low and behold, he is back for another year at the collegiate level. Now we know it's not because no-one wanted him because this kid was, and still is, highly sought after by NBA scouts. But something kept him from taking the plunge, maybe he just really wants that degree, I don't know. But what I do know is that with numbers like he has been having, averaging 20+ points per game, 6 assists per game, this kid has had multiple double-doubles already this season, I mean with an output like this I would not be surprised to see the huskies cutting down those nets this year. So, like I said, I don't know why Kevin Barr elected to stay out of this year's draft, but we all know who is thankful that he did."

The screen went black as Kevin put the remote back in Edd's lap before giving him a kiss and moving into the bathroom. Kevin originally had every intention of going into the draft after his freshman year, but, Edd being Edd, he was swayed to stay the course and get his degree before moving on to the next stage of his career. It wasn't necessarily a bad choice, but it did have its risks. If Kevin got himself injured within these next three years, his entire future as a player could be gone in an instant. The both of them did their best to put that thought far out of their minds. Besides, today wasn't about stats, games, or draft picks. Today was about something far more important, like suffering through a theater production for the man you love.


	2. A Chance Encounter

Hey guys, I meant to add one of these to the first chapter but I was exhausted by the time I posted it. My current situation has me pretty busy and is consuming a lot of my time right now which is why I haven't been putting out new stuff like this or updating my other stories. but it wont be long before I can get back into my normal rhythm again, so hang in there. I'm really excited about this story because I've actually become a pretty big basketball fan recently but more importantly, this story will include my first OC. I hope you guys enjoy, and ill be back with the next chapter as soon as I can. love you guys :)

* * *

The early morning sunlight burned Kevin's eyes as he stared out the windshield of his teammate's car. Concentrating on the road while trying to remember how he got roped into driving. As he and three of his teammates made their way down the road he thought back to his conversation with Edd the night before.

"Boston?"

Edd raised an eye brow looking up from his book.

"Some of the guys from the team are thinking of heading up there to see the Celtics play. Sorry, I know its last minute."

"I wish I could Kevin but I already have plans with Nazz and Nathan tomorrow," he stood from his desk wrapping his arms around the neck of his jock, "but you should go, it will be good for you to get out and enjoy yourself more."

"I'd enjoy myself more if you were there," He said smiling.

"I am sure you will manage."

After a two-hour drive Kevin was relieved to be out of the car. He hated driving, he much preferred his bike. For some reason he always felt so cramped inside anything with four wheels. It was now nearly 11:30 am, leaving them plenty of time to explore the city before the game started at 7:30. As they began to walk down the sidewalk laughing, joking, and making early predictions about the game, Kevin sent a quick text to Edd.

"Made it, don't have too much fun without me. Love you ;)"

"Who is it?"

Edd's gaze quickly switched from his phone to the blonde sitting across from him. He and Nazz had known each other for quite some time growing up in the same cul-de-sac, not to mention she and Kevin were an item for a time in high school. Most people might have found the situation awkward but they had actually grown rather close.

"I'd be willing to make a guess."

Nat's patented sarcasm was well recognized by those who knew him. The teal haired deviant sat up on the couch he had been laying across with a sly smile.

"Kevin was just informing me that they have arrived safely."

"Ohhh, and what's a nice Irish boy like him getting into up there?"

Edd and Nazz both shot him a look before responding.

"He went with a few young men from the team to see the Celtics play."

"Well that should be bitter sweet."

Nat said as he sipped his chai latte.

"And what does that mean exactly?"

As Edd narrowed his gaze Nat felt Nazz's feet catch one of his crossed legs, forcing him to catch himself to keep from falling off the couch.

"Look I'm not saying that you convincing him to stay in school was a good or bad decision. I'm just saying, he is here and he is focused, but you know where he really wants to be. And him being there, hearing the crowd, watching, knowing that there are people on that court that he could out play…. it's not going to be easy for him."

Nazz's look went from annoyed to concerned as she looked over to Double D.

"Nat might have a point Double D, I mean Kev can be a really competitive guy at times. He might have gone up there to try and have some fun and relax, but he might end up coming back more stressed out than before."

"I just can't approve of not taking advantage of a free education. That is the opportunity Kevin has now."

Nat sighed leaning forward and resting his chin on his hands.

"I mean you're not wrong sweetie but look at it this way, how many people do you see graduating with a degree over the age of 35? I mean it's a decent percentage at least right?"

"17 percent to be exact, but what does that have to do with anything Nathan?"

"Well…how many active pro basketball players over the age of 35 can you name?"

Edd began to see Nat's point as Nazz chimed in.

"What about Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Jamal Crawford, - "

"Yes but how many of them are there? 10, maybe? 17 percent of guys in their age group are still getting a degree. I mean with at least 360 players in the league what percentage does that come out to?"

"Just under 3 percent."

Edd whispered the answer under his breath so that his friends barely heard it, as he began to question his logic and possibly his motives. Yes, education is important, but is it possible Edd's true reasoning for convincing Kevin to stay was so that he would stay with him? To keep him close? As he began to analyze his motivations, Nat moved to sit next to him, soon followed by Nazz. The two put their arms across his back and let him know that they were there for him. As they did a picture message of Kevin and his teammates came up on double d's phone.

The quartet had been walking for a while now, looking in different shops, sampling a local diner, and now they found themselves walking through a park. As the group spoke amongst themselves they came upon something that they couldn't help but make use of. A local blacktop, outdoor basketball court. Grabbing one of the balls left nearby, a friendly game of two on two broke out. Kevin wasted no time getting into the game, managing a few good dunks and draining a number of three point shots. Once the game between friends was finished an unexpected sound began, applause. Kevin turned to see a man a few steps away from the court he had not noticed until now. A taller man with blonde hair wearing a pair of shorts and a black hoodie, his pale blue eyes locked onto Kevin.

"Nice game fellas. Hope you don't mind; I was um…just admiring your skills. You feeling' tired?"

He pointed at the red head, a slight drawl became noticeable as he spoke.

"You mean me man?"

"Yeah. Are y'all in a hurry?"

"Why?"

"Well I was going to see if I could interest you in a little one on one. I've got some time to kill myself."

The stranger gave the group a smirk as he picked up the ball which had rolled in his direction before tossing it back over to Kevin.

"What do you say?"

Kevin chuckled a bit and smiled before passing the ball back over.

"Alright man, your ball."

The man smiled from ear to ear as he made his way to the edge of the 3-point line, stripping off his hoodie at the edge of the court electing to play in the tank top he wore underneath. He bounced the ball at Kevin again still smiling, the red head spoke up before checking the ball in.

"Don't hurt yourself out here bud."

As the ball bounced the stranger pulled it up and launched a shot from behind the line, right over Kevin's head. The collegiate star was shocked as he heard the sound of the net behind him. Looking back the stranger simply smiled.

"Oh I'm gonna be just fine brother."

Kevin retrieved the ball and made his way back into position.

"What's your name man?"

"Chris."

The man said as he began to dribble the ball.

"You don't have a last name?"

"Getting awful personal aren't you buddy?"

A quick cross over and step back had Kevin fighting to stay close to the man in front of him, to no avail as another shot flew over him and in.

"What about you?"

"Kevin." He said, slapping the ball as he picked it up.

"Well Kev, nice to meet you. And don't worry," he said taking the ball in play again, "we all have to start somewhere."

And just like that Kevin was done. He moved in close, pressing to keep the man off balance. Chris fought back with some terrific ball handling, trying to make space.

"Don't reach Kev, whatever you do don't reach man."

He never stopped smiling as he stood in front of the annoyed red head. Kevin still wasn't sure if the guy was making fun of him or just enjoying himself. Kevin watched as the man crossed the ball again and timed it well enough to poke it loose just long enough to get it away and up the other side of the court. Taking it up and slamming it home on the other end. Chris simply hung his head and chuckled, but looking up again he simply clapped his hands together and spoke with quite a bit of excitement.

"Alright! Your ball, let's go."

The game continued to go back and forth in spectacular ways until eventually one last 3-pointer lost Kevin the game by quite a narrow margin. The red head congratulated his opponent as he caught his breath.

"That was fun man. I appreciate the game. Hey, are y'all going to the Celtics game later?"

"Yeah, we're going to head over probably in like an hour or so."

"So am I, maybe I'll see you guys there. Hey listen I need to get going but before I go, do you guys mind if I get a picture with you?"

The group looked around at each other for a moment.

"Um, I guess not."

"Awesome, thanks man."

Chris stood in front of the group and smiled as they all stood behind him. After he had his photo he said goodbye to them and picked up his jacket as he left. He looked back for a moment and smiled as he pulled out his phone again.

"Hey Ryan, yeah. Did you get that picture I sent? Yeah I need a favor."

After making their way through the line and up to the ticket booth, Kevin began to pull out his wallet as he told the operator how many tickets they would need.

"Oh, actually Sir, you won't need that."

Before Kevin could question what that even meant the young man had turned around and reached into a drawer behind him, pulling out an envelope.

"Your name is Kevin, correct?"

He nodded in response before the booth operator handed him the envelope with his name written on it. As he opened it he almost couldn't believe it. Four court side tickets. He thought to turn back and ask who had left them but the line had already moved up and stolen the booth operator's attention. Kevin and his teammates sat just feet from the court, and while his friends seemed to be enjoying themselves, the red head was having a different reaction to the game. He couldn't shake the feeling, that should be him out there. By the time the second quarter began Kevin was thinking about bowing out of the rest of the game and meeting up with his friends later. But at about two minutes in, something grabbed his attention again, the voice over the loud speaker.

"Checking in at the shooting guard position, Christopher Tiernan."

As Kevin looked up he saw the man who only hours before had shown him up on that public court, in a Knicks jersey?! As their eyes locked Chris just smiled and gave the red head a quick wink.

"What in the hell is this?"


	3. Misunderstood Intentions

Kevin was still kicking himself leaning against the frigid metal of the car. As New York began to walk away with the game Kevin had slipped out, he couldn't focus enough to enjoy it any longer. How could he not have realized? One of the top rookies in the league comes up and casually offers a game of one on one and he doesn't even realize who he is until he is six feet away in his jersey.

"Idiot! And what was his big plan? Sit me as close as he could to the court as a little 'don't you wish you were out here' to throw in my face?"

Kevin slammed his fist down onto the vehicle he was leaning on, and immediately regretted it, before looking up to see the crowd begin to file out of the stadium. Assuming the game was now over he waited, looking for his friends in the crowd. It seemed to be taking them a while to make their way out but after a while he began to hear his name in the distance. The red head couldn't believe his eyes as he realized it was Chris, still in his uniform. The afternoon had not been that bad but the evening had brought on the full brunt of the December cold. Kevin could only imagine how miserable he must have been as it seemed like he was beginning to shiver as he came up to him.

"Courtside tickets, and you try to slip out early. You're something else you know that?"

Chris put his hands on his hips still catching his breath and giving a quiet chuckle at his friendly jab towards Kevin.

"You ran all the way out here in the cold, for a thank you?"

"Well it would be a fantastic start."

Kevin couldn't help but crack a smile as he extended his thanks for the gift.

"My pleasure…you know I was going to be careful about how I brought this up but I think I'm going to get hypothermia and die if I stay out here to long so I'll just come out with it. You coming into the draft this year or not?"

Kevin was taken aback and quickly tried to regain his composure.

"I uh- I haven't really been thinking about it."

"Oh come on man, don't give me that shit, it's all you think about."

"And how the hell would you know?"

"Because I was standing in your Jordans not long ago man. A player at your level, dominating the way you have, the only thing on your mind is elevating your game. And there's only one place to do it man, I'm telling you."

Kevin's gaze fell to the ground, his mind was shouting, "he's right" so loudly his ears began to ring. He knew where he needed to be, but getting there has never been a solo job in his view.

"What's stopping you man? You don't think you'll be able to cut it? Fear of change? Do you really want a degree that bad and right now? Schools don't go anywhere man; they'll be there when you want to go back- "

"Why are you so damn interested?!"

Kevin quickly realized from the look on the man's face in front of him and a few passersby's finally realizing who was standing in the parking lot and taking pictures that he may have raised his voice a bit more than he had intended. Chris simply let out a deep sigh and extended a piece of paper to Kevin.

"What's this?"

"My number."

"Umm, I'm flattered and everything but, I already have a boyfriend."

"Not what I meant. I'm not the only guy in the league watching you right now man, a lot of us are interested."

"Why."

"Well believe it or not, these guys don't just do the work outs, work on their shots, get in the gym, and call it good. They study their competition, for days on end. And right now Kev, you are on their radar, as long as you stay healthy they know that they could be standing on that hardwood with you at any time. YOU are their competition. My point is, no matter when you decide to do it, coming into the draft is a surreal experience and it can really overwhelm you. If you've ever got questions, if you want advice, hell if you just want to talk about whatever, that's the number to call. If nothing else, I've got time to talk man."

With that he smiled and extended his hand. Kevin was eight different types of confused but couldn't help but appreciate the gesture. After a friendly handshake, the shivering NBA star began making his way back to the stadium to change, leaving the read head standing in the cold staring down at the slip of paper he had been given.

"What in the HELL just happened?"

A few hours later the red head was home again. He entered the dorm as quietly as he could so as not to wake Edd. Kevin sat at the nearby computer desk with his head resting on his hand looking at his sock head as he slept. His gaze swapped between Edd and the slip of paper, the offer he had been given playing over and over again in his head. Eventually he came to the conclusion that he wouldn't be getting any sleep any time soon. He slid the paper into one of his books on the desk and gently kissed Edd before grabbing his coat and leaving. He pulled out his phone as he moved down the hall to call the one person he knew would be awake and, assuming he hadn't made any new friends that evening, would be willing to listen to him prattle on about something like this. The next thing he knew his golden eyed compatriot flung the door open and nearly dragged him in. Nat had always been Kevin's outlet to vent to when necessary, yes he partly did it for the fun of gossip, but his heart was in the right place.

"So what's got you rattled bud?"

"I'm guessing Edd told you I went to the game earlier tonight."

"Yeah, Nazz and I were with him when you sent him that picture. Why, did something happen?"

Kevin set his hat down on the table by the couch and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, you might say that."

"I thought this would happen."

Kevin looked at his friend with a bit of confusion

"You've wanted to be out there, in the show, for so long and you've decided to postpone that because of how much you care about Edd, which I respect and of course you know I love double delish but- "

"Nat, Nat, Nat, no…well kind of but, not really what I meant."

"You've lost me, buddy."

"I met someone in Boston."

Nat's eyes went wide and a hand came up to cover his mouth

"Kevin…"

"…what?"

"Did…did you- "

"Shut up!"

"Well did you?"

"No you jackass! Me and the guys were looking around the city and we found an outdoor court…"

Kevin proceeded to explain everything that had transpired that night. At one point he was surprised, although he didn't know why, that Nat had gotten up and made himself popcorn. Once the red head had brought his confidante up to speed he braced himself for what he knew would be the first question.

"Is he cute?"

"Sooo predictable."

"Oh come on, you know I've got to ask. So what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you going to call him, talk to Edd, think about the draft this year? Like what are you going to do hun?"

"Nat all this shit just happened man. I haven't figured anything out yet, right now all I know is getting it off my chest feels way better and I am about to pass out. You mind if I crash here tonight? My first class isn't until noon."

"Sure, my couch is your couch. Grab some blankets and a pillow and make yourself at home."

Kevin laid his head down feeling a bit better. He knew there was still a lot to think about and to talk over, but if he could just have a few days back to a calm routine he should be able to sort it all out and come up with something. That thought comforted him as he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next day, while Kevin was still catching up on his sleep before his first class, Edd was up bright and early. He had tried to text Kevin multiple times with no response. He found this a bit worrying but assumed that he had stayed at Nat's for some reason and would clarify with him later in the day. As he grabbed his bag to head out the door, a cup of pencils and pens along with a few books came off with it. Edd muttered to himself as he cleaned the mess, and furrowed his brow finding one stray piece of paper amongst the pile. He felt the color drain from his face as he read the name and number on it. He gripped his bag tightly trying to contain himself, his attendance was of extreme importance to him, but today would have to be made up for at a later date. He needed to talk about this now, he couldn't imagine confronting Kevin right away so he took the next logical option. He moved quickly across campus. After unleashing a barrage of knocks against the door he finally came to it at last opened to a freshly woken blonde.

"Double D...?"

"I am in need of your confidence in a rather troubling hour."

It wasn't even 9am yet, the blank face the woman returned to him told him he may need to calm down a bit before continuing.

"I need to talk."

Nazz smiled and waved the young man in as she yawned.


End file.
